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The status of woman in Islam is something unique, something novel, something
that has no similarity in any other system. If we look to the Eastern Communist
world or to the democratic nations, we find that woman is not really in a
happy position. Her status is not enviable. She has to work so hard to live,
and sometimes she may be doing the same job that a man does but her wage
is less than his. She enjoys a kind of liberty which in some cases amounts
to libertinism. To get to where she is nowadays, woman struggled hard for
decades and centuries. To gain the right of learning and the freedom of work
and earning, she had to offer painful sacrifices and give up many of her
natural rights. To establish her status as a human being possessing a soul,
she paid heavily. Yet in spite of all these costly sacrificeqs and painful
struggles, she has not acquired what Islam has established by a Divine decree
for the Muslim woman. The rights of woman of modern times were not granted
volun- tarily or out of kindness to the female. Modern woman reached her
present position by force, and not through natural processes or mutual consent
or Divine teachings. She had to force her way, and various circumstances
came to her aid. Shortage of manpower during wars, pressure of economic needs
and requirements of industrial developments forced woman to get out of her
home - to work, to learn, to struggle for her livelihood, to appear as an
equal to man, to run her race in the course of life side by side with him.
She was forced by circumstances and in turn she forced herself through and
acquired her new status. Whether all women were pleased with these circumstances
being on their side, and whether they are happy and satisfied with the results
of this course is a different matter. But the fact remains that whatever
rights modern woman enjoys fall short of those of her Muslim counterpart.
What Islam has established for woman is that which suits her nature, gives
her full security and protects her against disgraceful circum- stances and
uncertain channels of life. We do not need here to elaborate on the status
of modern woman and the risks she runs to make her living or establish herself.
We do not even need to explore the miseries and setbacks that encircle her
as a result of the so-called rights of woman. Nor do we intend to manipulate
the situation of many unhappy homes which break because of the very "freedom"
and "rights" of which modern woman is proud. Most women today exercise the
right of freedom to go out independently, to work and earn, to pretend to
be equal to man, but this, sadly enough, is at the expense of their families.
This all known and obvious. What is not known is the status of woman in Islam.
An attempt will be made in the following passages to sum up the attitude
of Islam with regard to woman. 1. Woman is recognized by Islam as a full
and equal partner of man in the procreation of humankind. He is the father;
she is the mother, and both are essential for life. Her role is not less
vital than his. By this partnership she has an equal share in every aspect;
she is entitled to equal rights; she undertakes equal responsibilities, and
in her there are as many qualities and as much humanity as there are in her
partner. To this equal partner- ship in the reproduction of human kind God
says: O mankind! Verily We have created your from a single (pair) of a male
and a female,m and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each
other... (Qur'an, 49:13; cf. 4:1). 2. She is equal to man in bearing personal
and common responsi- bilities and in receiving rewards for her deeds. She
is acknowledged as an independent personality, in possession of human qualities
and worthy of spiritual aspirations. Her human nature is neither inferior
to nor deviant from that of man. Both are members of one another. God says:
And their Lord has accepted (their prayers) and answered them (saying): 'Never
will I cause to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female; you
are members, one of another... (3:195; cf 9:71;33:35-36;66:19-21). 3. She
is equal to man in the pursuit of education and knowledge. When Islam enjoins
the seeking of knowledge upon Muslims, it makes no distinction between man
and woman. Almost fourteen centuries ago, Muhammad declared that the pursuit
of knowledge is incumbent on every Muslim male and female. This declaration
was very clear and was implemented by Muslims throughout history. 4. She
is entitled to freedom of expression as much as man is. Her sound opinions
are taken into consideration and cannot be disregarded just because she happen
to belong to the female sex. It is reported in the Qur'an and history that
woman not only expressed her opinion freely but also argued and participated
in serious discussions with the Prophet himself as well as with other Muslim
leaders (Qur'an, 58:1-4; 60:10-12). Besides there were occasions when Muslim
women expressed their views on legislative matters of public interest, and
stood in opposition to the Caliphs, who then accepted the sound arguments
of these women. A specific example took place during the Califate of Umar
Ibn al-Khattab. 5. Historical records show that women participated in public
life with the early Muslims, especially in times of emergencies. Women used
to accompany the Muslim armies engaged in battles to nurse the wounded, prepare
supplies, serve the warriors, and so on. They were not shut behind iron bars
or considered worthless creatures and deprived of souls. 6. Islam grants
woman equal rights to contract, to enterprise, to earn and possess independently.
Her life, her property, her honor are as sacred as those of man. If she commits
any offense, her penalty is no less or more than of man's in a similar case.
If she is wronged or harmed, she gets due compensations equal to what a man
in her position would get (2:178;4:45, 92-93). 7. Islam does not state these
rights in a statistical form and then relax. It has taken all measures to
safeguard them and put them into practice as integral articles of Faith.
It never tolerates those who are inclined to prejudice against woman or
discrimination between man and woman. Time and again, the Qur'an reproaches
those who used to believe woman to be inferior to man (16:57-59, 62; 42:47-59;
43:15-19; 53:21-23). 8. Apart from recognition of woman as an independent
human being acknowledged as equally essential for the survival of humanity,
Islam has given her a share of inheritance. Before Islam, she was not only
deprived of that share but was herself considered as property to be inherited
by man. Out of that transferable property Islam made an heir, acknowledging
the inherent human qualifies in woman. Whether she is a wife or mother, a
sister or daughter, she receives a certain share of the deceased kin's property,
a share which depends on her degree of relationship to the deceased and the
number of heirs. This share is hers, and no one can take it away or disinherit
her. Even if the deceased wishes to deprive her by making a will to other
relations or in favor of any other cause, the Law will not allow him to do
so. Any proprietor is permitted to make his will within the limit of one-third
of his property, so he may not affect the rights of his heirs, men and women.
In the case of inheritance, the question of quality and sameness is fully
applicable. In principle, both man and woman are equally entitled to inherit
the property of the deceased relations but the portions they get may vary.
In some instances man receives two shares whereas woman gets one only. This
no sign of giving preference or supremacy to man over woman.The reasons why
man gets more in these particular instances may be classified as follows:
First man, is the person solely responsible for the complete maintenance
of his wife, his family and any other needy relations. It is his duty by
Law to assume all financial responsibilities and maintain his dependents
adequately. It is also his duty to contribute financially to all good causes
in his society. All financial burdens are borne by him alone. Secondly, in
contrast, woman has no financial responsibilities whatsoever except very
little of her personal expenses, the high luxurious things that she likes
to have. She is financially secure and provided for. If she is a wife, her
husband is the provider; if she is a mother, it is the son; if she is a daughter,
it is the father; if she is a sister; it is the brother, and so on. If she
has no relations on whom she can depend, then there is no question of inheritance
because there is nothing to inherit and there is no one to bequeath anything
to her. However, she will not be left to starve, maintenance of such a woman
is the responsibility of the society as a whole, the state. She may be given
aid or a job to earn her living, and whatever money she makes will be hers.
She is not responsible for the maintenance of anybody else besides herself.
If there is a man in her position, he would still be responsible for his
family and possibly any of his relations who need his help. So, in the hardest
situation her financial responsi- bility is limited, while his is unlimited.
Thirdly, when a woman gets less than a man does, she is not actually deprived
of anything that she has worked for. The property inherited is not the result
of her earning or her endeavors. It is something coming to them from a neutral
source, something addition- al or extra. It is something that neither man
or woman struggled for. It is a sort of aid, and any aid has to be distributed
according to the urgent needs and responsibilities especially when the
distribution is regulated by the Law of God. Now, we have a male heir, on
one side, burdened with all kinds of financial responsibilities and liabilities.
We have, on the other side, a female heir with no financial responsibilities
at all or at most with very little of it. In between we have some property
and aid to redistribute by way of inheritance. If we deprive the female
completely, it would be unjust to her because she is related to the deceased.
Likewise, if we always give her a share equal to the man's, it would be unjust
to him. So, instead of doing injustice to either side, Islam gives the man
a larger portion of the inherited property to help him to meet his family
needs and social responsibilities. At the same time, Islam has not forgotten
her altogether, but has given her a portion to satisfy her very personal
needs. In fact, Islam in this respect is being more kind to her than to him.
Here we can say that when taken as a whole the rights of woman are equal
to those of man although not necessarily identical (see Qur'an, 4:11-14,
176). 9. In some instances of bearing witness to certain civil con- tracts,
two men are required or one man and two women. Again, this is no indication
of the woman being inferior to man. It is a measure of securing the rights
of the contracting parties, because woman as a rule, is not so experienced
in practical life as man. This lack of experience may cause a loss to any
party in a given contract. So the Law requires that at least two women should
bear witness with one man. if a woman of the witness forgets something, the
other one would remind her. Or if she makes an error, due to lack of experience,
the other would help to correct her. This is a precautionary measure to guarantee
honest transactions and proper dealings between people. In fact, it gives
woman a role to play in civil life and helps to establish justice. At any
rate, lack of experience in civil life does not necessarily mean that women
is inferior to man in her status. Every human being lacks one thing or another,
yet no one questions their human status (2:282). 10. Woman enjoys certain
privileges of which man is deprived. She is exempt from some religious duties,
i.e., prayers and fasting, in her regular periods and at times of confinement.
She is exempt from all financial liabilities. As a mother, she enjoys more
recognition and higher honor in the sight of God (31:14-15;46:15). The Prophet
acknowledged this honor when he declared that Paradise is under the feet
of the mothers. She is entitled to three-fourths of the son's love and kindness
with one-fourth left for their father. As a wife she is entitled to demand
of her prospective husband a suitable dowry that will be her own. She is
entitled to complete provision and total maintenance by the husband. She
does not have to work or share with her husband the family expenses. She
is free to retain, after marriage, whatever she possessed before it, and
the husband has no right whatsoever to any of her belongings. As a daughter
or sister she is entitled to security and provision by the father and brother
respectively. That is her privilege. If she wishes to work or be self-supporting
and participate in handling the family responsibilities, she is quite free
to do so, provided her integrity and honor are safeguarded. 11. The standing
of woman in prayers behind man does not indicate in any sense that she is
inferior to him. Woman, as already mentioned, is exempt from attending
congregational prayers which are obligatory on man. But if she does attend
she stands in separate lines made up of women exclusively . This is a regulation
of discipline in prayers, and not a classification of importance. In men's
rows the head of state stands shoulder to shoulder to the pauper. Men of
the highest ranks in society stand in prayer side by side with other men
of the lowest ranks. The order of lines in prayers is introduced to help
every one to concentrate in his meditation. It is very important because
Muslim prayers are not simply chanting or the sing-a-song type. They involve
actions, motions, standing, bowing, prostration, etc. So if men mix with
women in the same lines, it is possible that something disturbing or distracting
may happen. The mind will become occupied by something alien to prayer and
derailed from the clear path of mediation. The result will be a loss of the
purpose of prayers, besides an offense of adultery committed by the eye,
because the eye-by looking at forbidden things - can be guilty of adultery
as much as the heart itself. Moreover, no Muslim man or woman is allowed
during prayers to touch the body of another person of the opposite sex. If
men and women stand side by side in prayer they cannot avoid touching each
other. Furthermore, when a woman is praying in front of a man or beside him,
it is very likely that any part of her dressed body may become uncovered
after a certain motion of bowing or prostrating. The man's eye may happen
to be looking at the uncovered part, with the result that she will be embarrassed
and he will be exposed to distraction or possibly evil thoughts. So, to avoid
any embarrassment and distraction to help concentrate on mediation and pure
thoughts, to maintain harmony and order among worshippers, to fulfill the
true purposes of prayers, Islam has ordained the organization of rows, whereby
men stand in front lines, and women behind the children.Anyone with some
knowledge of the nature and purpose of Muslim prayerscan readily understand
the wisdom of organizing the lines of worshippers in this manner. 12. The
Muslim woman is always associated with an old tradition known as the "veil".
It is Islamic that the woman should beautify herself with the veil of honor,
dignity, chastity, purity and integrity. She should refrain from all deeds
and gestures that might stir the passions of people other than her legitimate
husband or cause evil suspicion of her morality. She is warned not to display
her charms or expose her physical attractions before strangers. The veil
which she must put on is one that can save her soul from weakness, her mind
from indulgence, her eyes from lustful looks, and her personality from
demoralization. Islam is most concerned with the integrity of woman, with
the safeguarding of her morals and morale and with the protection of her
character and personality (cf. Qur'an, 24:30-31). 13. By now it is clear
that the status of woman in Islam is unprecedentedly high and realistically
suitable to her nature. Her rights and duties are equal to those of man but
not necessarily or absolutely identical with them. If she is deprived of
one thing in some aspect, she is fully compensated for it with more things
in many other aspects. The fact that she belongs to the female sex has no
bearing on her human status or independent personality, and it is no basis
for justification of prejudice against her or injustice to her person. Islam
gives her as much as is required of her. Her rights match beautifully with
her duties. The balance between rights and duties is maintained, and no side
overweighs the other. The whole status of woman is given clearly in the Qur'anic
verse which may be translated as follows: And women shall have rights similar
to the rights against them, according to what is equitable; but man have
a degree (of advantage as in some cases of inheritance) over them (2:228).
This degree is not a title of supremacy or an authorization of dominance
over her. It is to correspond with the extra responsibil- ities of man and
give him some compensation for his unlimited liabilities. The above mentioned
verse is always interpreted in the light of another (4:34). It is these extra
responsibilities that give man a degree over woman in some economic aspects.
It is not a higher degree in humanity or in character. Nor is it a dominance
of one over the other or suppression of one by the other. It is a distribution
of God's abundance according to the needs of the nature of which God is the
Maker. And He knows best what is good for woman and what is good for man.
God is absolutely true when He declares: O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord,
Who created you from a single person, and created of like nature his mate,
and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women (4:1).
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